Bill Ackman Net Worth 2018

William Albert Ackman, better known as Bill Ackman is an American activist investor, a hedge fund manager, film producer, an investor and a philanthropist who. He is famously known as the CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management and also for shorting MBIA’s bonds during the 2008’s financial crisis. Currently, he stated that the Pershing Square’s loss on Herbalife would be capped by 3%. Keep reading to know more about Bill Ackman’s net worth in 2018.

Early Life

Bill Ackman was born in 1966 on 11 May to Ronnie I and Lawrence D. Ackman. He was born in Chappaqua, New York. He completed his bachelor of Arts ‘magna cum laude’ in history from Harvard College in 1988. He further completed his MBA in 1992 from Harvard Business School.

He married on July 10, 1994, to Karen Ann Herskovitz who is a landscape architect and a graduate of Harvard University. They have three children. On December 22, 2016, it was reported that they filed for a 9-figure divorce.

Career

After his graduation from Harvard Business School, with his classmate David P. Berkowitz, he founded Gotham Partners. It was a small investment firm that aimed at a varied portfolio of public companies. After a decade of operation and despite early success, the fund closed down in 2002, which was caused due to an open public challenge from outside investors and poor golf course investment.

In 2004, Ackman found Pershing Square Capital Management from his personal funds. It skyrocketed and gained a reputation as an effective negotiator and also earned influence of major companies. The funds of the company are noted to hold large positions in a handful of stocks. Pershing Square further bought the shares of a fast food chain Wendy’s International and also 10% stake in Target Corporation in 2007. After three years, it also owned 38% shares of Borders Group.

Ackman is the largest JCP shareholder and also has large investments in Air Products. He made a very reputed position in Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc and Air Products and Chemicals. He has produced many movies like ‘Smash His Camera’ (2010), ‘Althea’ (2014) and ‘The Music of Strangers’ (2015)

He held a $1 billion short against Herbalife, since 2012, a nutrition company which has a pyramid scheme as a multi-level marketing company. All of his efforts were documented in the documentary film ‘Betting on Zero.’

Awards & Achievements

In 2011, Ackman was in The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s “Philanthropy 50” list as the most generous donor. In February 2016, he was ranked 256 on the Forbes 400 list. In July 2014, at a gala fundraiser at New York City’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Ackman was honored by the Challenged Athletes Foundation because he helped raise $2.3 million.

Net worth of Bill Ackman

Bill Ackman has an estimated net worth of $1.5 billion. Most of his income has been earned as a portfolio manager. Gotham Partners had made profits from $3 million to $300 million. Pershing Square Capital Management has 51 employees and has Assets Under Management (AUM) of $11 billion. Between 2006 and 2015, The Pershing Square Foundation invested and granted in more than $160 million in charity.

Bill Ackman is one of the most popular investors on Wall Street. He has pledged to give away half of their money to charity. He has also pledged to give away the personal profits which he had earned from Herbalife short to charity. He is said to be conscious of his health and fitness.

One of his most influential quotes is “Let me win? That doesn’t exist in my house. No one lets anyone wins. Fight to the death.”